We proposed to establish a sustainable Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) in Molecular Epidemiology at Dartmouth structured to support the recruitment, career development, and engagement of talented junior investigators who will advance their research in molecular epidemiology as part of the new Center. We will bring together a diverse faculty with shared interests in integrating and translating cutting edge scientific technologies and discoveries to improve our understanding of major human health concerns, and ultimately inform clinical decision and practice change. Faculty will span multiple departments in Dartmouth Medical School, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, and the Dartmouth College of Arts and Sciences. Dartmouth Medical School has a long and distinguished tradition in epidemiology having conducted the first NIH funded chemoprevention trial of cancer in the early 1980s, and numerous population based studies to illuminate the pathogenesis of major health outcomes. Extending this tradition with strong support from Dartmouth will position us to serve as a vital resource in molecular epidemiology for northern New England and for COBRE and IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) programs nationally. To our knowledge, there are no other academic centers for molecular epidemiology in New England, or currently funded COBREs focused on molecular epidemiology nationally. As part of the proposed COBRE, we will supply the critical molecular epidemiology research infrastructure from which innovative methods can be applied and new discoveries can be translated. This will be achieved through four independent research projects with tightly interwoven themes along with a state-of-the-art, multidisciplinary Biorepository Core and vibrant Administrative, Career Development, and Research Integration Core. Building on the growing presence of molecular epidemiology in New Hampshire, we are poised to establish this new Center over the next five years with the goals of: 1) stimulating rigorous innovative research and fostering the career development of junior investigators and recruiting new faculty, 2) promoting translation of emerging technologies and basic research findings on common pathways of disease etiology and progression, and 3) informing strategies to prevent human disease throughout the lifespan.

Public Health Relevance

We propose to establish a new translational biomedical research center that will build upon Dartmouth's long tradition in epidemiology to foster investigations that apply cutting-edge innovations to illuminate the causes of human diseases. As such, the Center has the potential to change practice and reduce disease burden throughout the lifespan. Our proposed COBRE Center for Molecular Epidemiology at Dartmouth will provide a unique resource for the next generation of scientists and for COBRE/INBRE programs regionally and nationally.